A recent article in FierceEMR written by Marla Durben Hirsch quotes Dr. Peel about the dangers of cloud technology being used in healthcare. Dr. Peel tells FierceEMR that “There’s a lot of ignorance regarding safety and privacy of these [cloud] technologies”.

“Many providers have no idea where the vendor is hosting the providers’ patient data. It could be housed in a different state; or even outside of the country, leaving it even more vulnerable. ‘If the cloud vendor won’t tell you where the information is, walk out the door,’ Peel says.”

“Then there’s the problem of what happens to your data when your contract with the cloud vendor ends. Providers don’t pay attention to that when they sign their EHR contract, Peel warns.”

“‘The cloud can be a good place for health information if you have iron clad privacy and security protections,’ Peel says. ‘[But] people shouldn’t have to worry about their data wherever it’s held.'”